K-pop awards show MAMA to be held online due to COVID-19

Seoul

The Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), the K-pop industry's biggest annual year-end music awards show, will be held virtually in South Korea in December with no audience, its organizer said Monday.

CJ ENM, which hosts the annual event, said the 2020 MAMA will be held online on Dec. 6 due to COVID-19, according to the South Korean News Agency (Yonhap).

The extravagant year-end music show featuring leading K-pop acts has usually been held as a multi-day event staged across several venues in Asian countries.

"MAMA has grown throughout the years while constantly innovating itself. We believe this year's contact-less event will also provide a new opportunity to transform the show," a CJ ENM representative said.

Launched in 1999 under the name Mnet Km Music Festival, the event was renamed MAMA in 2009 as the show expanded its outreach throughout Asia.